Hello good people of the internet! Thanks for clicking! Kidtroop here for an introduction, YEAH! Sorry i'm so enthusiastic i'm just glad to be able to give something to you guys. Well I'll stop talking now and let you read.
"NO RULES"
"This way to the barracks rook" the commanding voice boomed at me. I simply nodded. "Who exactly is this guy?" He was a tall, strong looking Caucasian man with a bald head and a thick beard. He certainly looked intimidating. I followed him down a maze of hallways briefly wondering how many times I'll get myself lost in here. I smiled at the thought. My tour guide finally decided to introduce himself.
"I am Captain Sam Williams callsign Tombstone and I am I charge of Delta squad, your squad. That means I'm your C.O. got it?" He added extra emphasis on the 'got it' to get his point across that he's in charge. "Yes sir" was my answer. He got right in my face and added "And if you disobey any more orders then you'll be the distraction on our next mission. Am I understood?" The man seemed to get some sort of sick satisfaction from knowing that he was in charge. My hands clenched into fists at the mention of what happened those months back. I would've given anything to wipe that smug grin off his face. Instead I spat out a "yes sir." His grin grew even wider due to the fact that he was obviously pleased with himself. "Good." Came his reply.
We continued walking through the futuristic looking halls passing some rather interesting looking objects. The hangar caught my eye as we walked past it, as did the giant holographic globe. "Oh I'm definitely going to have to check this place out more." I thought to myself. We finally reached a door with a sign on the wall next to it. The sign read "Barracks" guess we made it. Captain Williams took another step toward the door and it slid upward automatically. "Welcome to XCOM."
The barracks were larger than I than any I had stayed in before. Then again I suppose it would have to be considering the threat. There were at least five soldiers in sight from the entrance, and each one seemed unique. They each had a flag on their back representing their home country. One was from Africa, one Britain, and even one from China. Williams led me through the room (attracting a couple looks on the way) until we hit a spot with three other soldiers.
"Look sharp soldiers" Williams bellowed. Each soldier snapped to attention. "This is Connor Gray" he gestured to me. "He is gonna be our new squad member. I suggest you all get to know each other. He looked back at me, "briefing is in an hour. Basic stuff, but recruits have to go." I nodded. "I have to go speak to Bradford. I'll check back in once the briefing's over. Your equipment is in the locker over there." With that he turned and walked out of the room.
"How's it going? Names' Davey, Sergeant Davey Jones. Oh yeah, and my callsign's Joker. " A man walked up offering his hand. He was of average height with sandy reddish blondish hair. He looked too young to be a soldier. He was the picture of childhood innocence in a grown man. I introduced myself in the same manner with a friendly smile.
"Hey, names' Bianca, callsign Nightingale. Nice to meet you." The only female on the team came forth. She had dark black hair with a slight reddish tint and an attractive face. Her body was also incredibly attractive. She even made the normally unflattering body armor look good. I hoped she didn't notice my stare as she stuck out her hand which I took and shook. "I'm sure it'll be a pleasure working with you." She said with a smile which I returned.
The final squad member came forward and introduced himself. "The names' Lance Johnson. Callsign Gaia." He had blonde hair which he had spiked up in the front. I nodded and extended my hand. He seemed somewhat reluctant to take it yet after a few seconds he did.
I noticed Davey popup behind him and start making faces. He made a few faces I didn't even think possible. After a few seconds I flat out laughed. "He's right behind me isn't he?" came Lance's disinterested reply. At this point Bianca was laughing too. Then Davey got close to Lance's ear and whispered something I couldn't make out. Lance's face went from surprise, to shock, to utter disgust as he exclaimed "Oh god man! That's disgusting!" Davey doubled over in laughter as Lance got up and walked out. Davey gave us a look as to say "I'm not done with him yet" and went after him.
"So are they always like that?" I inquired to Bianca.
"The two of them? Oh yeah. You don't know the half of it. They've pissed off Williams more than I can count, and I've been here for maybe two weeks."
"So you're kind of new too?" I asked.
"Yeah I'm the squad's sniper."
"Really? No way. I'm a sniper too!" I told her.
"Looks like I got some competition." She said with a smirk.
"Oh really?" I challenged. "You wouldn't stand a chance."
"Whatever" she said, indifference dripping from her words.
"So would you mind giving me a tour?"
She smiled and nodded. "Sure"
She led me through the upper levels. We saw the hangar and all the ships inside. She led me to mission control, with the holographic globe I saw before. I guess that's called the Geoscape. Then we checked the labs, where I met Dr. Vahlen. She's a very intelligent individual that's for sure. I couldn't stay long as the briefing was fast approaching and I made a note to visit engineering afterwards.
I went to the situation room (which was where the briefing was being held) and arrived just in time. I took a seat near the back and watched what was to unfold. A man with neat brown hair took the stage and he began, "Hello XCOM soldiers. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I am central officer Bradford and I will be your link to base while you're in the field. I've heard great things about your group and I know you won't disappoint. This briefing is just to familiarize you with what you'll be seeing out there. I guess without further ado let's begin."
The large screen on the wall showed an image of a small grey creature, seemingly bipedal, with a large bulbous head. "This" Bradford began, "is a sectoid. It is small quick intelligent and deadly. Usually unarmored and armed with a plasma rifle. These seem to be the most common alien units."
The slide changed to show another sectoid although this one seemed larger and had a slight discoloration on its head. "This is a sectoid commander. In addition to the abilities of the basic sectoid this one possesses what we refer to as psionic abilities. It can influence a soldiers mind and even control a human so use extreme caution when you see one.
The next slide showed a tall, thin, figure wearing a suit. It looked oddly human although some things were off. It was covered in odd colored blotches and its eyes were the wrong color entirely. "This is a 'Thin Man' usually armed with a plasma pistol this species seems to be the equivalent of special ops. They're rather easy to bring down but dangerous at a distance.
The next slide drew some gasps from the audience. It showed a hulking creature, clad in large green armor. "This is a Muton. The larger foot soldier of the aliens. These fine gentlemen usually travel in packs of three and are armed with a plasma rifle and grenade.
The screen went dark. "And that's it. Always be on your guard. We've learned a lot but they could still be hiding some pretty big things from us. So with that good luck and welcome to XCOM." Captain Williams approached me as the briefing came to a close.
"You catch all that rook?"
"Yeah pretty sure I managed to stay awake." I replied nonchalantly.
"You think this is a game? Men and women are dying out there and you're making jokes?"
"With all due respect sir" I emphasized the last word to show my disdain. "I'm aware of our situation, but these alien sons of bitches have taken too much and I won't let them take who I am. Seems like that's all we have left nowadays anyway." With that I left the situation room and Captain Williams far behind.
I decided to head back to the hanger to try to clear my head. One ship in particular caught my eye. It was a dark gray color but stood out due to the numerous plasma burns decorating its exterior. I reached out to touch it and was surprised at how cool and smooth the metal was. In contrast the scorched area was rough due to the metal warping under the extreme heat of plasma. The metal even managed to retain a little heat. I was jolted from my thoughts by a voice.
"She's a beauty ain't she?"
"Yeah she sure is." I turned to face the source of the voice, a man seemingly in his mid-thirties. He had a friendly face topped with brown hair sticking out underneath his cap. "She yours?" I inquired.
"Yeah she is. Named her Delilah. Although her official name is Raven-1."
"Well she's a heck of a ship." I said with admiration in my voice. I've always respected pilots. Don't know why… I just do.
"Man you haven't even seen her in action. Names' Johnny by the way." He extended his hand and I took it.
"Connor, Connor Gray. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise" he answered tipping his hat. He reminded me heavily of a southern gentlemen, he even had a slight drawl. Very slight but it was there.
"How long have you been here? With XCOM I mean." I asked genuinely curious.
"About half a year now I think. I'm not entirely sure" we shared a laugh. "I love it here though."
"So do you know anything about Captain Williams?"
"Like what?"
"Like why he's constantly pissed off… at me especially."
Johnny laughed. "Ha… I'm sure it's not just you. He's pissed at everyone. Oh wait, are you his new squad member?" I nodded. "Well hell, I'm your skyranger pilot."
"Skyranger?" I questioned.
"Yeah a skyranger is the ship that drops you off and picks you up for your missions."
"Oh… my bad." I said sheepishly.
I was tapped on the shoulder and I turned to see Captain Williams. "Suit up. We've got a mission. I'll brief you on the way."
I nodded and waved at Johnny. He returned it and went back to Delilah. I gave my attention to the Captain, wondering if I was going to be punished for mouthing off to him before. Instead he just gave me some information.
"We're being dropped into Iowa. There's a military general we have to extract. This is all the information I know other than it was assigned directly from the council so we can't screw this up understood?" I nodded. "Good, your squad is in the barracks getting ready. I suggest you see what you can learn."
"Sir you do know I was a Marine?" I informed him.
"What? No that's not in your file, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Damn" I cursed under my breath. "Never mind it then. I guess I wasn't a part of it long enough for it to be in my file" I lied. He seemed to buy it although he threw a suspicious glance my way. We reached the barracks and we both entered. I turned into the corner that housed my squad's bunks and lockers to be greeted by the rest of my squad.
Davey was still smiling and bothering Lance who was smiling to himself. Bianca noticed me and gave me a wave which I returned. I went to my locker to retrieve my armor and weapon. There was a base layer of black armor which I gathered was to go on first. After that came another set of armor although this one was a silver color and much skinner. I also noticed a small gauntlet on the left arm. Bianca quickly explained that this was a grappling hook as she had one too. Everyone else had suited up and armed themselves. I retrieved the sniper rifle from the locker and slung the strap over my head. I also grabbed the knife and handgun that seemed to be hiding in the darkest corner of the container. I placed them into their respective holsters and turned to face the captain, who had just finished briefing the others. He looked at me and asked one final time "are you ready?" I nodded. It was time to prove myself.
We filed into the Skyranger in near silence. I was the last one in and took a seat near the back. "Hey wait up! Hold the Ranger!"
I looked out the back of the ship to see a woman running after the ship. Captain Williams got out of his seat and walked to meet her halfway. "What exactly are you doing here soldier?"
"Bradford asked me to come along. Said you might need an extra soldier." The woman said between heavy breaths. She must have run here from the barracks. Got to give her props for that.
"I don't know what he's playing at but my squad can handle whatever we might find down there." Williams said full of confidence.
"This order came straight from the commander." She said; her face growing stern. "You wouldn't disobey a direct order would you?" She smirked.
"Fine." Williams said scowling. "Welcome aboard." Williams turned a sat back down. It was obvious how angry he was. You could practically see the smoke fuming from his ears.
The woman entered with confidence in her step and sat down next to me. She had long blonde hair with tied back into a ponytail. She was also only wearing one layer of armor while the rest of us had two. I wondered what that was about. Regardless this woman had piqued my interest. So I wanted to try to get to know her. I began "My name's Connor. What's yours?"
"Mary. Nice to meet you Connor." She said. She seemed to be rather friendly. A pleasant change from Williams. She asked "Is he always so angry?" pointing at Williams.
I laughed. "Mary I've been asking that exact same question. Are you new too?"
"Yeah actually I am." She laughed this time. We talked for a couple more minutes until the rear of the ship closed up. It seemed like once we took off a deathly silence took over. Not even Davey could lighten the mood. Not that he even tried. Even he was silent. I took the opportunity to do one last equipment check. I inspected the rifle I was given. It was lighter and smaller than I was used to. I lifted it to my shoulder to see how it felt. It was an alien feeling but one I would get used to in time.
I checked my sidearm next. It was a small brown pistol that took a small caliber bullet. This doesn't seem like it would do much against anything. The image of a charging muton came into my mind. The thought of going up against one of those things with this pistol was absolutely terrifying. "I hope that never happens." I thought hopefully.
Finally came the knife. It had a black handle with a rubber grip. The grip had indents in it for fingers to wrap comfortably around it. The blade was roughly about eight or nine inches. Certainly long enough to do some damage. Everything they gave me seems to be in good condition. I think I should be able to manage with these.
A familiar voice broke the silence. "Ladies and Gentlemen of XCOM we will be touching down in about five minutes. We hope you enjoyed your trip and will consider taking your return trip on Johnny and Delilah airlines."
I smiled. Johnny just lightened the mood of everyone in the ship with a few simple words. Everyone went about their last minutes checks. Lance and Mary loaded their assault rifles while Davey checked his shotgun. Williams began the tedious task of loading his LMG and Bianca adjusted her scope. We felt the ship begin its descent and prepared ourselves for whatever we would find outside.
The ship opened and we exited. Williams and Lance took point, followed by Mary and Davey. Bianca and I brought up the rear. We landed in what was once a busy city. There was a car dealership on the left side of the street and an apartment complex on the right. Williams gave the order to break into two groups. Him, Lance, and Mary and Bianca, Davey, and I.
"You three get onto that roof. See if you can follow us from above. Joker, you're their protection, especially in that building. Keep an eye out for the target."
My group nodded in unison, then turned in the direction of the building. Joker took point and entered the building cautiously. The elevator was out of order obviously so we opted for the stairs. Bianca and I switched to our pistols due to the confined quarters we were in. The climb was uneventful and tiring until we hit the eleventh floor. We heard a faint chattering and occasional footsteps. Joker put his back to the wall that led to hallway housing the apartments. He poked his head out and gave us a hand signal. He held up three fingers. He whispered one word. "Sectoids."
I took a position opposite Joker against a wall and looked out. He was right. Two sectoids were visible. Where did the third go? I held up three fingers at Joker with a confused look on my face. He simply shrugged.
"All right" I whispered, "I got an idea. Joker, you and I will drop the first two consecutively. Then Nightingale, you get into position and drop the third as it comes to investigate. Good?" They nodded. I drew my rifle and cocked it as quietly as I could. "On the count of three. One… Two… Three."
I popped out and centered my sights on one of the alien's heads. I exhaled and pulled the trigger. The large head of the sectoid made an easy target and the round passed through it cleanly. Joker then delivered a face full of buckshot to the other. Nightingale took a knee in front of the doorway to prepare for the third alien to enter. Sure enough after a few seconds the alien emerged. He had just enough time to register that two of his comrades were dead as the bullet cut the rest of his thoughts short.
A smile formed on my face. "Nice job guys. Good shooting." Joker beamed at the compliment while Nightingale simply nodded. I gestured to Joker, "lead the way my good man."
Joker led the way through the remaining floors of the building without further combat. Upon reaching the roof we were greeted with a rather nice view of the city. I'm sure it would've been more spectacular if there was anybody left in it. I quickly shook that thought from my head. Thinking like that is what loses battles.
We quickly located the other three making their way down the same street we entered on. Joker contacted Captain Williams on his earpiece.
"How are you guys faring down there?" He asked. "Uh-huh. Got it. Good luck, don't worry we got your back." Joker addressed us now "they're nearing a source of gunshots. Alien and human. We need to find a position to provide overwatch.
"Did he specify where the shots were coming from?" I asked
"He just said deeper into the city. So we should probably focus on traveling in that direction." Joker said pointing further into the barren city.
We approached the edge of the building the see another one fairly close by. They were nearly the same height and could probably be easily traversed. I explained my idea to the rest of them and with some convincing they agreed. I could feel Joker's anxiety skyrocket and the idea of the leap so I volunteered to jump first.
I started from the middle of the building and ran. The closer I got the harder my heart pounded. With each step my confidence waned but I knew it had to be done. So I jumped. I made the jump no problem and landed hard. With my rifle clutched in one hand and the other planted firmly on my chest I looked at the others.
"It's really not that bad!" I called up hoping to calm them down a bit. Nightingale came over next. She landed similarly to me although she went even farther. I think it was because she's lighter than me but she insists its skill. I laughed at loud at her because there's nothing wrong with a little friendly rivalry. Joker finally worked up the courage to jump and yelled "Cowabunga!" as he did. He landed and attempted to perform a roll which ended with him lying on his back gasping for breath.
I smiled and went to go see what was visible from the new roof while Nightingale helped Joker back to his feet. My smile instantly vanished as the ground came into view. There was a group of people engaged in a firefight over a large park area with a couple of aliens. There was a faction on each side of the park. I quickly brought my rifle up and looked through the scope. I could make out three mutons and a pair of sectoids.
"Hey Joker" I called "could I see the picture of the target?" He brought it over and I compared it with the humans on the ground. They were taking cover behind a battered pickup truck. Neither the first nor the second man matched but the third possessed some similarities. It was difficult to make out at this distance but he looked like our man.
"Radio Williams; tell him we got the target." I told Joker. He complied instantly and relayed the message. Not a minute later the other three emerged from an alley parallel to the building we were on. They opened fire on the aliens. The aliens quickly changed cover to protect themselves from this new threat. The squad was maneuvering their way to the target until they hit a large open area. One of the civvies got hit and went down. It didn't look like a fatal shot but once again I can't tell. Mary lost it.
She took off at a sprint towards the group. Through my scope I was able to see her yelling something but I couldn't hear it nor could I read her lips. She had made it about halfway across the clearing when she went down. A plasma bolt hit her in the back. I immediately brought my scope up to find the one responsible. A muton was thrusting his fist in the air in some sort of celebration. Needless to say he must have been the one who did it. I brought my crosshairs to his face when he went down, his left eye replaced by a bullet. I looked over to see Nightingale with a tear in her eye and her gun barrel smoking.
The other mutons seemed surprised by the sudden death of their comrade and during that brief pause another fell to the Captain's weapon. The remaining muton got the hint and ducked back into cover. The sectoids became my main focus as they disappeared a while ago. I found them attempting to flank the civvie group,
"Nightingale!" I called, "North side of the park!" She nodded and lifted her gun. I did the same and zeroed in on a sectoid. I waited until he popped his head over the cover he was behind he was behind and fired. The bullet went through the center of his head. A shot rang out next to me signaling the death of another sectoid. Tombstone and Gaia converged on the remaining muton attacking it from two sides. It fired a few quick shots in Gaia's direction but was rapidly dispatched by the Captain behind him.
We made our way down using the fire escape on the side of the building. The civilian group was over at Mary's body. One man was holding her in his arms.
"I'm.. I'm sorry." Mary said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Shh. Save your breath, don't apologize." The man said in a calm voice but I could tell he was tearing up. The man was our target.
"I.. I let you down." Blood was starting to pool in her mouth making speech difficult. "I… I love you Dad." With that Mary closed her eyes and never opened them again.
The man wept openly over the loss of his daughter. The others were his bodyguards. One was shot in the shoulder but it wasn't too serious. We waited until the man was composed enough to speak.
"Why didn't you stop her?" He asked Williams.
"I couldn't. Not without risking the life of myself or my fellow soldiers. I'm sorry." His face softened and his voice grew quieter "I understand how you feel believe me." Williams whispered something into the man's ear. Then he openly said "we need to get you out of here okay? Will you please come with us?" He nodded.
"Although" he began "do you think...? We could bury her here?" Williams looked as if he was about to say no when I intervened.
"Of course. I'll do it for you." I said sincerely.
"While I appreciate that young man I would like to do it myself although our help is greatly appreciated."
Williams gave me a glare. I knew I was in for a hell of a punishment once we got back to the base but I didn't care. This man just lost a daughter because of us. This is the least we could do. We searched the nearby hardware shop for shovels and set out to our task. We were silent until the time came to lower her into the grave.
Her father carried her over to the hole and gently placed her inside while the squad stood respectfully. Bianca grabbed a rose that was growing nearby a clasped it in Mary's hands. Lance took off the rosary necklace he had on and wrapped it around her fingers. Glad to see the squad agreed with me that this was the right thing to do. We all took a moment of silence before filling in the grave and returning to the skyranger.
So what did you think? Please leave a review, I really appreciate them. Oh! and my update schedule is probably gonna be really wonky. The goal is a chapter a week but who knows. So sorry if that disappoints anyone but thanks for reading. Seriously thank you. Kidtroop out.